How Widespread Is Hantavirus Cruise Outbreak? List Of Countries Directly Or Indirectly Impacted

Last Updated:May 08, 2026, 16:32 IST

Hantavirus outbreak on cruise ship MV Hondius kills three passengers, infects others, WHO says risk to public is low but more cases possible due to Andes virus incubation.

A rare Hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch-flagged cruise ship MV Hondius has triggered global concern after three passengers died and several others were infected during a weeks-long voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.

The outbreak has raised fears of another international health crisis years after Covid-19, although the World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that the overall public risk remains low because hantavirus does not spread easily between people.

The cruise ship, carrying around 150 tourists from multiple countries, departed from Ushuaia in southern Argentina and travelled through Antarctica and remote South Atlantic islands.

The first confirmed case was identified on May 2 after a passenger who had disembarked from the vessel tested positive.

How The Outbreak Began

The first victim was a 70-year-old Dutch man who fell ill onboard with fever, headaches and diarrhoea shortly after the voyage began on April 1.

According to the WHO, the man and his wife had travelled through parts of Argentina and Chile before boarding the ship.

His body was removed from the ship on April 24 at Saint Helena, where 29 passengers, including his wife, disembarked.

His wife later died in South Africa after collapsing at an airport while attempting to fly home.

A third fatality, a German woman, died onboard nearly a month after the first passenger became ill.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said five confirmed and three suspected cases have been reported so far, including the three deaths.

“Given the incubation period of the Andes virus, which can be up to six weeks, it’s possible that more cases may be reported," Tedros said.

Full List Of Countries Affected

Directly Affected Countries:

These countries have confirmed cases, deaths, hospitalisations or operational involvement linked to the outbreak:

• Argentina — Passengers boarded the ship in Ushuaia
• Saint Helena — Passengers disembarked and contacts are being monitored
• South Africa — Infected passengers hospitalised there
• Cape Verde — Part of the cruise route and quarantine response
• Netherlands — Two Dutch passengers among the dead
• United Kingdom — British-linked case reportedCountries Alerted By WHO

The WHO notified several countries because their citizens had disembarked at Saint Helena:

• Canada
• Denmark
• Germany
• New Zealand
• Saint Kitts and Nevis
• Singapore
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United States

Why Authorities Are Concerned

Health officials believe the outbreak may involve the Andes strain of hantavirus — one of the few variants capable of limited human-to-human transmission.

However, experts have stressed that the virus is far less contagious than Covid-19 and is primarily spread through contact with infected rodents, their urine, saliva or droppings.

Argentina’s health ministry said authorities still have not determined exactly where the outbreak began.

“With the information provided so far, it is not possible to confirm the origin of the infection," officials said after consultations with provincial health authorities.

Even as more cases remain possible due to the virus’s long incubation period, the WHO has emphasised that the outbreak is not considered the start of a pandemic.

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